GlossaryColor space

Color space

A color space in video is a defined range of colors plus rules for how numbers in the file map to real colors on screen. Common video color spaces include Rec. 709 for standard HD and Rec. 2020 for HDR and wide color. When the file, encoder and display disagree on the color space, colors look washed out, too dark or oversaturated.

Why it matters

Color space errors make brand colors, skin tones and film looks appear wrong on viewers' screens. As more phones record HDR, platforms that ignore color space tags end up with washed-out or oversaturated clips, which damages trust in the product.

How it works

  1. The file carries tags naming its color primaries (the range of colors), transfer curve and matrix.
  2. The encoder must keep these tags, or convert the pixels if changing the color space.
  3. The player reads the tags and maps the numbers to colors the display can show.
  4. If a display cannot show the full range, colors are tone mapped down to fit.

Rec. 709 vs Rec. 2020: what is the difference?

Rec. 709 is the color space for standard HD video, and Rec. 2020 is a much wider one for ultra HD and HDR. Rec. 2020 covers 75.8% of the visible color chart (CIE 1931), compared with 35.9% for Rec. 709. Most web video is still Rec. 709.

Why do my video colors look different after uploading?

Colors usually shift because color space information was lost or misread during conversion. For example, an HDR phone clip in Rec. 2020 shown as Rec. 709 looks dull or oddly saturated. A full range file read as limited range looks washed out. Keeping the color tags, or converting properly, fixes most cases.

Where it's used

OTT services manage color spaces so films look as intended on every screen. Video platforms and short video apps must preserve this information, or phone HDR clips come out with shifted colors.

By the numbers

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